In an aggressive move to support green businesses that make use of waste materials and promote climate resilience, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation has partnered  the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs (GCYE) to facilitate a series of business support clinics for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Ashanti, Northern and Western regions.

The partnership forms part of the Boosting Green Employment and Enterprises Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) Project that SNV Ghana has been implementing with funding from the European Union.

“SNV works at supporting and increasing the growth of early-stage and matured businesses at the local level in the Ashanti and Western regions where we are implementing the GrEEn Project. The objective of our collaboration with the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs is to help micro and small businesses to strengthen their internal system as well as to meet regulatory requirements. This support will help participating micro and small businesses to fine-tune their businesses as well as access investments to scale up”, stated Enoch Cudjoe, Senior Skills Development Advisor at SNV Ghana.

According to the CEO of the Chamber, Sherif Ghali, the business support clinics are not the first of its collaboration with SNV Ghana. 

“For months now, we have been working with SNV under its GrEEn Project to engage MSMEs and stakeholders in the Western, Ashanti and Northern regions on business regulatory issues, and in all these discussions one thing was imminent: MSMEs needed support and guidance to formalize their business” Mr. Ghali explained.

“For this reason, we are taking our intervention a step further by organizing these Business Clinics to provide business registration, product certification and standardization, general business advisory support, and access to financing opportunities for MSMEs to enhance their operations”, he added

During the Business Support Clinics, participants will get access to free business advice, mentoring and coaching, instant business registration, certification, and standardization, and financial services. They will also engage with and receive advice from reputable financial and regulatory institutions, as well as have the opportunity to network and share learnings with other businesses.

The clinics are scheduled to happen from 13th June to 15th July 2022 in 13 districts in the Ashanti, Northern and Western regions.

In the Western region, they are scheduled to occur in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan (Takoradi), Ahanta West District (Agona Nkwanta), Nzema East Municipality (Axim), Jomoro Municipality (Half Asini), and Wassa Amenfi East (Wassa Akropong); In the Ashanti region: Kumasi Metropolitan (Kumasi), Ejura/Sekyedumase District (Ejura), Sekyere Kumawu District (Kumawu), Offinso North District (Akumadan), Offinso Municipality (Offinso), Adansi South District (New Edubiase) and Sekyere Afram Plains District (Drobonso) and finally the Tamale Metropolitan (Tamale) in the Northern region.